NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday asks para-legal volunteers under the Bihar Legal Services Authority to assist voters and political parties in filing claims and objections in the state’s Special Summary Revision (SIR) exercise. The court asked the volunteers to submit confidential reports to district judges, which will be considered on September 8.
The bench observed that confusion surrounding the Bihar SIR exercise was “largely a trust issue” and urged political parties to “activate” themselves in the process.
During the hearing, the Election Commission (EC) told the court that any extension of the September 1 deadline for claims and objections would disrupt the finalisation of the electoral roll. The poll body clarified that while objections could still be filed after the deadline, they would only be considered post-finalisation. It added that claims, objections, and corrections could be filed until the last date of nomination.
The EC further said most objections filed by political parties were aimed at excluding names from the draft electoral rolls, not including them. It also informed the bench that 99.5 percent of the 2.74 crore electors had already submitted eligibility documents and that notices were being issued within seven days to electors whose papers were incomplete.
The proceedings stemmed from a petition filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, who argued that the SIR exercise was “hasty and ill-timed” and could disenfranchise crores of voters. He said the list of 11 documents required to prove citizenship excluded widely used papers such as Aadhaar cards, MNREGA job cards, and ration cards, leaving Bihar’s rural and poor electorate at a disadvantage.
The bench observed that confusion surrounding the Bihar SIR exercise was “largely a trust issue” and urged political parties to “activate” themselves in the process.
During the hearing, the Election Commission (EC) told the court that any extension of the September 1 deadline for claims and objections would disrupt the finalisation of the electoral roll. The poll body clarified that while objections could still be filed after the deadline, they would only be considered post-finalisation. It added that claims, objections, and corrections could be filed until the last date of nomination.
The EC further said most objections filed by political parties were aimed at excluding names from the draft electoral rolls, not including them. It also informed the bench that 99.5 percent of the 2.74 crore electors had already submitted eligibility documents and that notices were being issued within seven days to electors whose papers were incomplete.
The proceedings stemmed from a petition filed by RJD MP Manoj Jha, who argued that the SIR exercise was “hasty and ill-timed” and could disenfranchise crores of voters. He said the list of 11 documents required to prove citizenship excluded widely used papers such as Aadhaar cards, MNREGA job cards, and ration cards, leaving Bihar’s rural and poor electorate at a disadvantage.
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